


Our Business Deal

by SaberBelle



Category: Final Fantasy VIII
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-05
Updated: 2018-08-05
Packaged: 2019-06-22 08:11:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15577557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaberBelle/pseuds/SaberBelle
Summary: The Successor Challenge 2018. It has been four years since they have seen, spoken to, or been in contact with one another. When business calls, Rinoa returns to Balamb Garden to ask for help with a very important matter. It helps that she is able to see her friends, but how will he react when he sees her? Squinoa.





	Our Business Deal

Shirts, socks, shoes.

Bathing suit, towel, toiletries, mobile charger.

Books, coloring pages, dresses.

Business proposal, charts, budgets and laser pointer.

Everything seemed to be there and perfectly laid out in the suitcase. The sun was barely rising into the sky and in the distance she could see the ship getting closer and closer to the tip of the island. She sighed.

Too many emotions. Too little time.

Rinoa zipped up her suitcase and propelled it off the bed gently and onto the ground. She wrapped her hand around the messenger bag before slinging it around her waist; she runs her fingers through her hair. It was quiet in the orphanage this early in the morning aside from the typical teething babe, which she could feel in her bones turning and tossing before letting out a gentle whine. Rinoa managed to roll her suitcase towards the back entrance prior to the stairs before the baby began to wail, and with a sigh she left her belongings there with the reassurance that they were safe.

There were several bassinets lined up against the newly painted and constructed walls, and Rinoa knew which one to go towards since only one bassinette was rocking gently with the babies cries. A small smile tugged at her lips as she loomed over the cradle; a small baby looked up to her with welled-up eyes and reached out their arms, only to be swept up by the sorceress that knew moments before it happened that this little guy was going to need some comfort.

Matron slept silently in the next room over as Rinoa rocked the baby. The baby still cried, shoving their hand in their mouth to soothe their sore gums. Padding herself into the small kitchen, Rinoa grabbed a frozen teether and handed it to the baby after rubbing the cold gel against their lips.

Silence and cooing began.

"They're here, you know," Rinoa turned around and saw Matron standing in the corner with a smile on her lips, "The babies will be fine with me. I've done this for many years, my dear."

Rinoa nodded, running her index finger across the baby's cheek. Matron continued, "We are going to get this deal, Rinoa. Just be aware of the emotions you will feel as you return to Balamb Garden."

The young sorceress remained silent, listening to her mentors kind words. It has been four years since she had been at Balamb Garden. Four years since she sat on the edge of that ocean on the sand, four years since she had seen her closest friends.

Four years since she had seen him. And for a moment it did not seem like four years was so long, but she knew it was and that she needed to go to make a better life for these children.

"We need the space," Rinoa whispered, looking down at the baby in her arms that slowly began to close it's green eyes. "We can't hold any more children."

"Which is why you, my dear, are going to get us that space. The space, the help," Matron sighed, "The money...we need it. They," Matron stepped closer to Rinoa and the baby, a gentle smile forming on her lips as she ran her fingertips over the top of the baby's peach fuzz, "need it. They need it more than us."

Rinoa gently handed over the baby to Matron and sighed, looking out to the sea. The ship was docking now, a young man getting off of the boat and waving to her. All the SeeD's at Balamb Garden knew who she was and Matron was, and that was no surprise. Rinoa felt as if she should be relieved to go back to a place she used to call home, but instead her emotions began to bubble at the surface. It was anxiety, nervousness, excitement and...fear. All of it bubbled together and made her shake on the inside.

"My dear," Matron placed her hand on Rinoa's forearm, gave it a gentle squeeze, "Be aware of your magic. Be aware of your heart and what it tells you. Yes, this is a business trip but it will also resurface a lot of -."

"A lot of hurt, guilt and anger?" Rinoa scoffed, "I know. I have been dreaming of it."

"So then you understand," Matron whispered, nodding, "it will all be okay."

Rinoa nodded and smiled at Matron, leaning down to kiss the baby's forehead before walking towards the beach. She grabbed her belongings, adjusted the messenger bag filled with business plans around her, and took one last look at the Orphanage behind her.

It was no surprise that it had been reconstructed. The building was no longer in shambles but was not two floors high with beautiful rock walls and indoor painting. Deep wood paneling lined the floors and the staircases were now level and sturdy. Within the walls ten small children resided and four babies, all of which without families to love and support them. They are brought to the orphanage to learn, love, and have support temporarily, and unfortunately Rinoa and Matron know too well that often times no one comes back for them.

"Miss Heartilly?" Rinoa stepped to the beach, her boot getting stuck in the soft sand around her. A SeeD cadet approached her and saluted, "I am Keegan and I will be traveling with you today. May I help you with your things?"

There isn't much to help with, Rinoa stated to herself but nodded in appreciation, letting go of her suitcase to allow Keegan to take hold of it. "Thank you Keegan."

"My pleasure, Miss Heartilly. We will be arriving at the city of Balamb around approximately eight in the morning. You may have breakfast on the ship…"

The young sorceress looked behind her as the young cadet spoke, looking at Matron who looked calm but Rinoa knew she was just as worried as she was. The building seemed so large from the outside and so small from the inside. It made absolutely no sense…

I am doing this for my children. For their future.

"Miss Heartilly? Are you ready to board?"

Rinoa snapped her head forward and smiled gently, "Yes, Keegan. Thank you very much."

"She's coming today! She's coming today! Irvie! She's coming today!"

Irvine looked up shocked from his phone, "The baby?! Are you in labor!?"

Selphie giggled, "No silly, Rinny! She's coming today! This little one," she looked down and rubbed her plump baby bump that protruded from her small frame, "Isn't coming fast enough."

A deep sigh emulated from Irvine's lips as he wiped his forehead. The small bead of stress-sweat was gone and he could finally relax. "Don't scare me like that, love."

"Sorry!" Selphie bounced, plopping down next to Irvine on their small love seat. "It has just been so long since we have seen her!"

The former cowboy, now without his hat, wrapped his arm around his wife and kissed her on the temple. He looked down at their baby in her stomach, feeling so much love from deep down in his own heart. A love he never knew he could have until Selphie told him nine months ago those two words, "I'm pregnant."

"It's been four years…" he trailed off, looking out the window across from them. "I wonder how Squally is holding up."

Selphie sighed, letting her arm drape across her belly. "Do we ever know?"

And there he stood looking outside of the large window in his office seemingly miles away from his friends. The top of Balamb Garden housed the young Commander of twenty-eight, standing straight with his arms folded across his chest. Squall watched as the ship rolled into the harbor of Balamb, the pit in his stomach growing more and more disturbed. The coffee only helped so much and if anything it made his jitters worse. He paced in front of the window, taking a deep breath before finally reaching for the coffee that has now turned cold.

Eight o'clock. Right on time.

This is the closest she has been to him in four years.

"Commander Leonhart…"

"Quistis," Squall snapped gently, "You know -."

"Skip the formalities, I know," Quistis sighed, approaching the commander cautiously. Her hair was no longer down her back, but now gently bobbed at her collarbone. She still held her frame high, her head steady, and walked with such a commanding presence that no one would know the depths of despair she had seen. "I just know this is going to be troublesome for you."

Quistis watched as Squall stared blankly out of the large window. Where Squall's office is currently is where Headmaster Cid's once was; where Squall received his SeeD ranking for the first time following the field assignment. It looked the same aside from the desk being ten times more messy.

"It's a business arrangement. Nothing else." Squall grumbled, taking a sip of his coffee with a grimace. "I don't see what is wrong with that."

"What I see wrong is I know you better than you give me credit for, as always," Quistis sighed, walking closer and leaning against the desk. Squall stood before her, his back to her. The blonde knew his eyes were watching for a shred of blue amidst the busy town, but also knew he would grow more and more frustrated the closer Rinoa walked towards the school. "You haven't seen her in four years. Everyone else has. It's going to be a big adjustment so you're going to keep your guard up ten fold."

I really do need to give her more credit, Squall says silently to himself before swallowing the rest of the murky coffee he had brewed at 12am.

Sleep was something that was hard for him to come by.

"I'll be fine," Squall finally turned around and looked Quistis in the eye. Quistis could see the lack of sleep represented in the purple beneath his eyes, the age has come to him faster than anyone else. Squall owned the lines on the corners of his eyes, the furrow lines between his brows, all down to the rugged stubble across his jaw. He no longer donned the leather jacket with white fur like he did years before, but instead wore his SeeD uniform while at work and jeans and a long sleeve shirt any other time. "But thank you."

Quistis smiled gently, keeping her palms face down on the desk. She watched Squall like a hawk while he sat down in the oversized chair and leant backwards. He looked at her once more, "...How different is she?"

The blonde thought to herself, wondering what exactly was different about Rinoa since Squall had last seen her. It was true, Rinoa had seen everyone but Squall. The friends would regularly see Rinoa but the past couple of months due to Selphie's pregnancy had been visit-less. The last time they had all seen each other were four months prior.

"She...has calmed down a lot," Quistis stated, looking out of the window herself, "She is still bright, very outgoing, but there is a calmness about her. Like the ocean." She stopped and thought. "She cut her hair."

"She what?" Squall asked, looking up at Quistis with big eyes. He always loved her hair and the way it twirled around her. Then, he thought, she had probably cut it just because he liked it.

"It's a tad shorter than mine, all black." Quistis answered, "Other than her calming down, she is exactly the same girl we knew when she was seventeen. She is amazing with the children at the orphanage. Some of them even called her mom."

A twinge of pain hit Squall in the stomach that emulated like a growl. He sighed and ran his thumb and index finger over his brows, "How long is she here for?"

"Six days. The business meeting is tomorrow at ten in the morning and then she should have her decision the next day. Following that is just her spending time with all of us before the baby comes," Quistis stopped, "Plus, I think she wants to be here for Selphie when Lola comes."

Squall nodded, "That would be like her. Well...the Rinoa I remember."

"Squall," Quistis whispered, reaching forward to place a supportive hand on his forearm. Squall welcomed it and looked at his life-long friend with eyes glazed over from a lack of sleep and frustration, "It will be okay. I know you're capable of feeling things that other people may not see, but everything will be okay."

The commander nodded and breathed in deeply before standing up, "Are you meeting her at the dock?"

Quistis shook her head and Squall raised an eyebrow, "She wanted to walk over alone. Keegan sent the radio over a few minutes ago. That's what I came to tell you."

And then Squall caught a glimpse of her in his peripheral vision. Rinoa stood clear as day on the other side of the window on the beach. She carried two bags with her and padded her way across the sand before putting her bags down and standing on the edge of the water. Quistis was right; her hair swept across her features a lot shorter than before without the flecks of blonde. She donned a baby blue blouse tucked into tight-fitting black trousers. Squall noticed the curve of her hips that was much different than what he remembered. He watched as she rose her hand to run her fingers through her hair.

He saw her turn around then and smile brightly as three figures walked towards her. Squall saw who could only be Zell running towards her and picking her up, before twirling the girl in a circle. Irvine and Selphie followed; Irvine with a tight hug and Selphie with as tight as she could manage with her baby belly in the way. Squall watched Rinoa run her hands over Selphie's stomach and giggle - her smile made his body run on adrenaline.

"I am going to go say hello. What you decide is up to you." Quistis stated. She stood up straight and walked out of the office, closing the door almost silently behind her.

Squall remained behind and watched from the tallest room in Garden. Within minutes Quistis's salmon cardigan could be seen from his office, walking quickly into Rinoa's arms with a friendly hug. Rinoa bounced on the heels of her boots, clasping her hands together in joy. She jumped in the air and he could hear her laugh when she opened her mouth.

The last time they spoke echoed in the back of his mind and tore his heart in two. The feeling in his stomach raised up through his chest and he suddenly had the urge to vomit. He sighed, turning his back on the window before seating himself at his desk.

"You could do it if you just let me help you!"

"I can't be helped! Get that out of your thick head and realize that I will never change!"

"Then feel free to be on your own. I'm done with you."

"Quisty!" Rinoa cheered, enveloping her old friend into a hug, "I missed you!"

Quistis chuckled, "I never thought I would hear that out of your mouth."

The sorceress bounced on the balls of her feet, twirled in a circle and laughed, "We are all together again! This is amazing!"

"I bet you ten gil Squall is watching from his office, sighing dramatically and pacing." Irvine stated, sitting beside his girlfriend in the sand. Selphie had removed her shoes and dug her feet into the sand, watching her friends bounce around much better than she.

Rinoa turned and looked up at the highest window in Garden knowing exactly where her Knight's office was placed. For a second she thought she saw him standing there with his arms crossed, but when she blinked he was gone from her sight. "You think he will come say hi?" She asked.

Quistis shrugged, "He was doing his thing when I went to tell him that you wanted some alone time when you got here. Not many words, as per usual." She watched Rinoa turn her back to the Garden, sighing before plopping in the sand beside Selphie.

"He will come out, definitely!" Zell cheered, nodding his head before standing promptly on the sand. He dug his arms into his hips and sighed deeply, "Hopefully. I mean, this isn't about you guys. This is the last time we will all be together before Lola decides to show up."

The group nodded and slightly chuckled before Rinoa placed her hand on Selphie's stomach, "You've been having pre-contractions, right?"

Selphie raised an eyebrow and looked at Rinoa with a perplexed expression, "How do you know that?"

"And why didn't you tell us?!" Zell roared.

"Sorceresses have a special aura that can sense the body's current state. Especially when it comes to children," Quistis explained, sitting beside Rinoa. Zell joined their line in the sand, seating himself next to Quistis. "It's why sorceresses are so good with children. They are able to empathetically feel the distress and identify what is wrong."

"Professor Trepe to the rescue," Rinoa smiled, rubbing her hand in a circular motion. "She's very healthy. And happy."

"So like," Zell began, leaning forward to catch a glimpse of Rinoa's face, "Can you know when she's coming?"

Rinoa laughed and shook her head, "I feel energies, auras, stuff like that. I'm not a fortune teller."

"Ah…" Zell sighed, leaning back. "That's a bummer."

The five of them set in solitude for a minute, looking out at the ocean. All of them felt the empty presence but dared not to say anything. Squall was missing - they all knew that - and it would not take a scientist to identify the stress that was on all of them. Squall and Rinoa were nearly the glue that held them all together. When they ended their relationship so suddenly, the remaining four had no idea what to do. They tried to put them back together, tried to mend the wounds and take back the words, but nothing worked. Rinoa and Squall both kept the terms they ended their relationship on private.

All the others knew was that they grew apart, had a fight, and were separated.

"...Will you ever tell us?" Selphie wondered aloud, looking in Rinoa's direction, "Why it ended?"

Rinoa sighed, putting her elbows on her bent knees in front of her, openly gazing out into the ocean, "It's private. And still very much an open wound."

Zell, Quistis, Selphie and Irvine all nodded silently, their eyes fixated on the sun in front of them. Things were so much more different than they were four years ago.

Rinoa paced in her suite, looking at the papers sprawled in front of her. There were numbers, phrases, photos, and more staring at her in the face. She almost felt intimidated by the objects and stepped back, crossing her arms and sighing.

"You can do this, Rinoa," she said to herself, nodding, "These kids need the room," she began speaking louder, "They need the resources, they need the help. Hell...I need the help…"

Rinoa collapsed onto the floor and crossed her legs, looking at the papers that now were at a higher level than she. "I miss my kids…"

She kicked her legs out from beneath her and stretched them in front of her, "I miss…"

A knock sounded on the door behind her that made her jump. Rinoa jumped to her feet and stood up quickly, bumping into the television before leaning towards the door and opening it.

"Hey sor -." she stopped and looked up, taking a deep breath before standing up straight, "Hi."

Squall sighed, letting his arms relax from their crossed pose. He looked down and then looked back at Rinoa with his hands in his pockets, "Hi."

They both stood in silence before Rinoa stepped aside, inviting him in without saying a word. Squall kept his head down as he walked into her suite, looking at the sprawled papers in her living room. They covered the couch, the coffee table, and some parts of the tiny dining table. He saw streaks of colored highlighter, mostly blue, and large cursive-esque writing in the margins. From where he stood he could see her suitcase in the bedroom which was opened on the floor. And what he saw was a dark blue dress, heels, and the smallest black pany lying beside it.

The door clicked shut behind him and he turned around to see her for what seemed like the first time. It was noon and yet she wore grey sweatpants, socks, and a black tank top. This is what she wore to bed when it was slightly chilly out, but it made sense with the air conditioning being on so high. Her hair was too short to be pulled up, but she had the top half pulled up into a white scrunchie.

Her hips had filled out, her collarbones were more visible than before, and Squall noticed the faintest smile lines beside her mouth. She also had more than one piercing in her ears; a small hoop wrapped around the top cartilage of her ear.

Rinoa assessed him in front of her. He stood wearing his SeeD uniform which was slightly frayed at the arms from years of use. She noticed the length of his hair, the frown lines, and the purple bags beneath his eyes. Rinoa took note of the stubble around his jaw and the shadow it had left on his skin; she noticed the fatigue and stress he had endured. And the wave of emotions he was hiding the best he could from her. She could feel it though, and she could feel her own body pulsating with the same emotions.

"Hi," he said, breaking the silence between them. "You uh…" his eyes casted downwards, trying to find the words he had rehearsed on the elevator ten thousand times, "ho-how was the ride?"

"The ride?" Rinoa asked, raising her eyebrow, "You mean the boat?"

Squall nodded, "Yeah. I sent my best future cadet."

"Yeah, thanks. He was nice. The...ride...was fine."

"Good."

"Yeah."

Rinoa coughed and stood up straight, taking a deep breath, "You want coffee?"

"Yes. Please."

"Okay, because I think I'm going to need some." She smiled in his direction faintly before turning on her heels and walking over to the coffee maker. She turned it on and grabbed cream for her, two mugs, and a spoon. "I haven't had a chance to have some yet," she continued, "Everyone came to see me but then Zell had to teach and Quistis too, and Irvine had to go run some errands for Selphie and Selphie is too tired of being cooped up so she went with him. I just decided to come back here and unpack and begin practicing for tomorrow."

"Do you think it's going to go okay? I mean, Cid told Matron that it was just a formality and that he agrees we should take over the basement for space and whatever, so I'm pretty much practicing for nothing," she put Squall's mug aside and began to pour some creamer into her cup, "but still, there's going to be a lot of guys in there that I don't know so it's still intimidating. I know all of this," she pointed to the papers behind her, "but you know when you get in front of someone and even though you have rehearsed it millions of times your mind goes blank? That's what I'm afraid of."

You have no idea, Squall thought to himself, She's nervous if she's talking this much.

"Here you go," Rinoa said chipperly, "Still take it black?"

Squall nodded and sipped the scalding liquid, "Yeah, I do."

"How is work?" she asked, beginning to collect her papers and attempted to pile them on the coffee table. It didn't work, and instead it collapsed onto the carpet beneath the surface. Rinoa waved her hand and sat on the couch, leaving room for Squall. "I can only imagine how busy you have been."

"It's a lot," Squall said quietly, eventually sitting beside Rinoa at a reasonable distance. "Then again, he gave me the job when I was seventeen. I thought that was a lot."

Rinoa nods and sips her coffee, looking at Squall as she swallowed, "Cid has had nothing but positive things to say when he visits."

"Then I must be doing something right."

Rinoa chuckled, setting her coffee in her lap. "So why are you here?"

Damn, she doesn't waste any time, Squall said to himself, to be honest I don't even know why I'm here.

"To break the tension," he said simply, "I assumed it was going to be here. I didn't want it to interrupt your business proposal tomorrow."

Rinoa nodded and looked into her milky drink, sighing, "Yeah. I know."

They both looked into their drinks and around the room, anywhere but each other, for what seemed like eternity. Then finally Rinoa looked up, remembering what Matron had told her what seemed like forever ago, and made her eyes meet his.

"I miss you. But this is really hard." she paused, "Like...I can feel you. And I feel me...I feel we could have worked." Rinoa looked at him for any shred of emotion, scanned his entire body, but she knew the wall was there and that she was back at square one. She could tell by his energy that he was fighting though, that much she suspected.

Squall wanted to tell her the truth, but he knew he couldn't. He wanted to tell her he missed her too, that he wanted her to be near all the time, that his life had completely changed since she left. That he wasn't whole and that he wanted to be with her more than he did when he was seventeen. Yet he couldn't allow himself to say those things, instead he went and looked away, "We couldn't have."

And the words stung. They cut Rinoa to the core and shattered every hope she may have had, even if it was tiny, was gone. She swallowed her tears forming at the back of her throat and nodded, "Okay."

"...All will go well tomorrow," Squall said, trying to move on from the subject, "Headmaster is right, it is just -."

"Are you really just going to leave it like that?" Rinoa asked, looking directly into Squall's eyes. She could feel her aura channeling to the surface of her body, radiating warmth through her skin, "We haven't seen each other for four years and that's all you have to say? Not an, 'I missed you' or a 'wow, you look great' or anything? Just agreeing that we were better off without each other?"

"What else do you want me to say?" Squall retorted, standing up and putting his coffee down, "You want me to say that I have pined over you each and every day and I can't live without you? What do you want?"

"I want YOU," Rinoa stood up as well and put her hands on her hips, "to show me some shred of emotion since you have obviously had NONE the past four years!"

Squall began to yell, "We are broken up! You want me to send you letters every day for four years? We broke up! I don't have to do anything!"

"You didn't even TRY!"

Outside of the suite, their echos could be heard down the hall. SeeD's and potential candidates passed and jumped at the sound of their commanders voice booming from behind what were supposed to be sound-proof doors. Selphie walked hand-in-hand with Irvine down the hallway before turning into the dormitories. Both of them stopped and turned their heads in the direction of the yelling; Selphie held up her hand to look at her watch.

Irvine asked, "What time is it?"

"Quarter-past one."

"Tell Zell he owes me fifty gil. They're fighting already."


End file.
